The Enemy of Love

Merge;
2005

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Aspiring singer-songwriters take note: Accompaniment can make all the difference. Annie Hayden's voice-- a scratchy, paper-thin cooing (think Mirah's little sister)-- is barely strong enough to command a song on its own. I think Hayden realizes this. It may be a solo record, but The Enemy of Love isn't a singer's record-- it's a record of songs, where Hayden's voice is one of many carefully applied textures and tones, and what it lacks in strong vocal performances, it makes up for in craft.

Hayden began her career in the slept-on Spent, and Love is her second solo record following 2001's The Rub. Hayden handles guitar and piano, drums are handed by Peter Retzlaff, and producer Glen Tarachow and various other ringers add extra percussion and instrumental color. More importantly, it's recorded without the help of former Spent-mate Jon King (who assisted on The Rub), so sink or swim, this one is distinctively her own record.

Nearly all of these songs begin sparsely, with just Hayden's voice accompanied by one instrument. Just around the corner lies the barest intuitive application of drums or guitar that dramatically alters the tone of the track. Opener "Cara Mia" begins with innocuous acoustic strumming, before a trebly guitar line precedes the metronome tick of the drums, and a coffeehouse performance turns into a professional courting. "Your Carnival" has a barebones piano intro, but the band cautiously dials up the pressure and when it should boil over in the chorus, it becomes cool come-hither pop with icy keyboards and clear, muted chords. The approach should grow predictable, but the additions are so minimal it surprises every time.

The disc is not without its missteps. Labeling yourself a "singer-songwriter" and getting all grown up from indie rock does not mean you can get away with sounding like Ben Folds circa 2005 (the maudlin "Staring at the Movies"), sandpapering all the grit from the Replacements' "Swingin Party", or beginning a song with the question "How's the weather in your guitar?" ("Guitar"). You shouldn't let the label on the spine fool you into thinking Enemy Of Love is unconventional or indie in any way but despite the missteps, Hayden finds her voice without forgetting to turn in a tasteful, carefully detailed record.